The grand experiment of bringing original shows to Xbox

Sci-fi, sports, stop motion, and comedy are all part of the programming plans.

Microsoft had a lot to say at the Xbox One reveal about its potential for "TV." Original content will arrive to the platform starting this summer.

After the Xbox One console announcement a year ago that was littered with references to "TV," Microsoft is starting to lift the curtain on its original content. The company is planning a large and diverse slate of shows, broadcast events, movies, and serials to roll out on the Xbox platform in the coming year, seemingly emphasizing experimentation above all else. Amazon or Netflix, this is not. Rather than imitating existing digital content distribution models or formats, Microsoft will be throwing lots of stuff at the wall and taking copious notes on what sticks.

While Nancy Tellem, president of Xbox Entertainment Studios, and Jordan Levin, executive vice president, told Ars during a demonstration that the content is meant for a diverse audience, the number of series that feature video-game-character tropes is high. There is Fearless, a reality show hosted by an Australian Navy Seal who goes hands-on with some of the world's most dangerous jobs (think Dirty Jobs but in even more hostile workplaces). The docuseries Every Street United will profile eight of the world's best street soccer players and then pit them against each other for a 4v4 match at the World Cup dome in Brazil. And Extraordinary Believers is a stop-motion/live-action show from the creators of Robot Chicken featuring three medieval characters trying to escape modern-day LA. Not to mention, there's also a handful of series based on games themselves, including a Halo series and a show based on Deadlands, a pen-and-paper RPG set in the "Weird West."

Other series are more tangential in the gamer-interest intersections. Humans is a sci-fi thriller based on the Norwegian show Real Humans that explores a world filled with humanoid, servile robots mounting a rebellion. There is a comedy variety show in the works tentatively titled JASH in the Box, a product of the "comedy network" JASH formed by actors including Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera. Microsoft also plans to live-stream the Bonnaroo music festival on Xbox and feature Q&A sessions with the festival's artists.

Xbox isn't after the political thriller or sitcom territory that is well-trod by TV, likely because its audience is less broad than, say, Netflix. The company has the benefit of knowing its audience, both in its taste and its actions when interacting with Xbox products, so it's shooting to use that to its advantage.

When we spoke to Tellem and Levin, they could not give straight answers about how the various programs will roll out. Some shows, like JASH in the Box, are only committed for a pilot. Some pilots will remain internal to Microsoft, they said, the way pilots do in regular TV production cycles. Other series will get a test rollout to the Xbox audience to see how they do before a full series commitment. And shows' full seasons could be dropped wholesale into the dashboard for binge-watching, à la Netflix. It all depends. Tellem and Levin promised that Microsoft would not employ the Amazon model of "voting" on pilots to determine which shows are carried into full development.

Additionally, the availability of shows will depend on Xbox users' subscription status. Tellem stated that she would love for all series to not be behind the paywall, but that was unlikely to end up being the case. In special cases, it appears series will also be available beyond the Xbox dashboard: Humans is being developed in partnership with the UK's Channel 4, so it will also air on TV.

With regard to the timing of each program's release, the team hinted some of its strategy would center around video game launches. Specifically, Microsoft currently plans to push some shows out once excitement for a particular video game's launch has crested: when players appear to be getting a little tired of playing something, they might notice a new show or documentary to watch in their dashboard. Tellem and Levin told Ars that how Xbox players and users select and consume the original content will play a big role in how the program evolves.

The original content will also have some "interactive features," but details on how they will work are still light. One interactive scenario Tellem and Levin disclosed was a skydiving scene in the show Fearless that was filmed with multiple cameras. Users will be able to interact with the show by making their own version of the scene using different camera angles and cuts, and the individual versions will be shareable over Xbox. Tellem and Levin even hinted that some series may be sponsored, though they did not disclose any partnerships.

One of the first pieces of original content to appear on Xbox will be the documentary Atari: Game Over covering the video game industry crash of 1983 and Microsoft's dig for thousands of E.T.: Extra-Terrestrial video game cartridges discarded by Atari in a New Mexico landfill. However, the Bonnaroo festival, which starts June 12, and the World-Cup-oriented Every Street United may beat it to the punch.

While Microsoft isn't completely transparent about its original content strategy, the company seems focused on listening to its audience and reacting accordingly, a tone reflected in the most recent Build conference. The only thing that could foil the approach would be a deafening roar of silence.